Join statewide discussion on ESEA flexibility

Well, the time has come.

For nearly the past year, we’ve been working on a proposal for flexibility under the decade-old No Child Left Behind Act (or Elementary and Secondary Education Act). Maine will submit its application by Sept. 6, and it’s important to us to involve the public one more time as we finalize a plan for creating a better school accountability and improvement system.

In the proposal draft – an overview of which can be found on the Department’s Accountability & Improvement System webpage – we lay out methods for improving our schools: implementing college- and career-ready standards, supporting schools and holding them accountable for growth, and promoting effective teaching.

But what’s included in our application is primarily a statewide decision, so we’ve created many avenues for public participation, starting with several forums and survey answered by more than 1,500 of you last winter. We now encourage everyone to read the proposal overview and provide feedback by taking our brief public survey and joining the conversation in the Maine DOE Newsroom.

Or join the discussion in-person at one of our upcoming public forums, to be held this week in Westbrook, Brewer, and online. For a complete schedule, please visit our “Participate” webpage.

Thanks for your help crafting an education plan that meets the needs of all our state’s learners.